"Don't come any closer!" Mimi yelled even as she took a step back.

"All right! I'll take care of him!" Gomamon said sternly.

"Leave it to me!" Theo agreed.

"Wait! Calm down." The lion suddenly spoke in a voice that I remember hearing before.

"That voice belongs to…" Mimi mumbled.

"Hey, you bastard…" Ogremon aggressively shouted at the lion, making this stand-off still really tense. The sounds of a large tree falling soon rang in our ears.

"You can't escape from me!" MetalEtemon's voice from a distance.

"We'll talk later." The lion said. "Climb onto my back, quickly."

MetalEtemon crash landed in the clearing where the mysterious lion digimon carried off the fairies and the children with their digimon, he glanced around as Lady Despair materialized beside him.

"Their around here, Mad Mama. I can sense it." MetalEtemon declared.

"I can too.." Lady Despair said, shutting her eyes and letting her scepter float in front of herself. "Whisper Softly, let it out. SHOW ME THOSE CHILDREN, POINT THEM OUT!"

A beam of red shoots from the eyes of the skull on her scepter, and the footprints of the kids, Ogremon, the fairies and the lion digimon appear, glowing red and showing a path.

"Just you wait, Mother!" Metaletemon said, growling as he dug up a footprint to crush with his hand. "I'll find them for sure!"

Lady Despair huffed, and moved to walk over, but heard the canon fire off in the distance.

"What the..?" Lady Despair turns. "I knew I shouldn't have given Puppetmon those canons..." Lady Despair calls out over her shoulder. "MetalEtemon I'll be back."

Lady Despair spins on her heels, and vanishes in a mini twister of red mist.

"No prob, Mama. I can handle these brats." MetalEtemon grins, cracking his knuckles.

They rode on the saber-toothed beast who ran miles in only fifteen minutes, Ogremon easily caught up even if he didn't stop complaining. Eventually, they reached a grey and ruined city covered in rubble.

"It's over here." The lion creature said as he walked.

Yui and Theo were the first ones to climb off and walk alongside, the two older girls were looking around uncertainly.

"Joe, look at that!" Gomamon suddenly pointed towards a ruined building.

"What?! This is the restaurant where Matt, Beth, Dana and I were forced to work!" Joe gaped.

"Man, they really let this place go." Theo remarked.

"But this is weird. It was supposedly next to a beautiful lake." Gomamon recalled.

"Everyplace has gone through drastic changes." The lion informed soberly. "In any case, let's hide ourselves in here."

Inside the restaurant was dilapidated and abandoned as the rest of the city. Once Mimi, Joe and their digimon climbed down, the lion beast glowed a soft gold light before turning into a warmly familiar face.

"Leomon!" Gomamon exclaimed.

"I knew it! It was our friend Leomon!" Joe cheered.

"You're alive! Leomon!" Mimi was the first to reach him besides Theo.

"Friend of yours?" Yui asked.

"He was the lion humanoid digimon that helped us out when we fought Devimon." Theo explained to Yui as she gently pulled away from Leomon.

"It's been awhile since I've last seen the beloved Chosen Children and the guardians."

"You can evolve now, Leomon?" Palmon asked.

"Yes. It seems that after I was bathed in the light of the Digivice. According to Andromon, it might be because the Chosen Children's digivices touched me while I was on File Island." Leomon then smashed his fist against the wall in frustration. "However, I return to my original form almost immediately. I still cannot control it."

"This is boring me to tears! They're only talking about you!" Ogremon scoffed. "But that still doesn't mean you're a match for me! Leomon! Fight me!"

Of course it went as well as one would expect seeing as Ogremon's arm was still hurt.

"Make sure to let your wounds heal first. Then we'll fight."

Just then there was the sound of a floorboard falling causing the group to jump in surprise and alarm, Palmon had noticed and rushed to Mimi.

Leomon stepped forward. "Who's there? Come on out!"

And to their great surprise, a frightened Gekomon and an Otamamon jumped out of the hole.

"Please spare us, tama!"

"Please spare our lives, ribbit!"

"You two are…" Mimi noticed.

"Gekomon and Otamamon!" Palmon gaped.

Now these guys I definitely don't remember meeting, Theo comments. But Theo and Kylie sure did.

The frog and tadpole looked up and recognized Mimi. "It's our Princess, ribbit! Princess!"

Gekomon ran up for Mimi to hug while the Otamamon was hopping excitedly.


"FIRE! FIRE! FIRE" Deramon shouted as Floramon kept loading the cannon.

"Hey, you two…" Tai tried to speak. "I think that's more than enough…"

"It's looks like they're letting out all their resentment with all those shots." Sora speculated.

"Let them keep at it, they'll tire themselves out." Beth said.

"YOU GUYS…!" Puppetmon screamed from outside. Floramon and Deramon briefly stuck their heads out the window, panicked and ran away.

"We're sorry!"

"That's okay, we'll take care of this!" Dana called to them.

"THAT'S MY HOUSE!" Puppetmon screams, almost hysterically. "MY MAMA MADE ME THAT HOUSE FOR ME, NOT YOU!"

Gatomon sneers down from him as she stood on the top of a canon. "Well, we don't give a flying rodents rump what your mother makes," she hisses. "And that includes YOU in that group."

"Mangy Cat! Mama was good to you, and this is how you repay her," Puppetmon hollers. "By taking the house from her fave son!?"

"Really? I could've sworn that was Myotismon," Gatmon said cattily. "After all, she said she was going to give him all of the digital world."

"You lie..." Puppetmon said in shock, before stomping his foot in rage. "YOU LIE! LIE! LIE! LIAR!"

The front doors to the house burst open, showing Tai had kicked them open.

"Look, I know it's the bad guys house but the point for kicking the door open?" Sara G asked.

"Dramatic effect," Zaira sighed. "Well, it's something all men like to do."

"It's time we finished this once and for all, Puppetmon. Your mama isn't here to bail you out of trouble!" Tai declared.

"If you want to play with me so badly, then let's take it outside." Puppetmon sneered, before turning and running off.

"Wait!" Tai shouts, the kids and digimon giving chase.

"Wait! It could be a trap," Kylie cried out, chasing after them.

"Let's transform!" Beth shouts, and the heart glowed, before the girls were in their fairy forms.

They chased after Puppetmon, but soon all skidded to a halt, as the massive forms of the Garthim burst out of the ground, eyes glowing pink, and claws snapping, and hands clicking intimidatingly with larger versions of Vegiemon.

"Hahaha! Morons!" Puppetmon laughed, laying on his back to kick his legs gleefully in the air.

"T-tai, I warned you!" Kylie gasped, not pleased to see the automatons.

"Oh, see, T.K.?' Puppetmon called out, causing T.K. to turn and frown at Puppetmon. "My Mama really loves me; she gives me all these toys to play with."

"You still don't have any true-blue friends!" Dana snapped.

Puppetmon eyes widened, before he growled in anger.

"My Mama's Garthim are immune to magic," Puppetmon snaps. "So, I'll make sure they clip your wings, before I have you pinned to my wall as a reminder what happens when people insult my MAMA!" He stands up, and punches his fist into the air. "GARTHIM!"

The Garthim had the kids circled.

"We can still help defend the kids," Haruna said. "And we know their weak spot."

"Yeah, we can handle them everyone!" Tai said holding up his digivice.


Back in the wrecked restaurant, the group was seated in chairs to hear what else had happened in their absence.

"Why were you two hiding in here?" Mimi asked the Gekomon and Otamamon. "What happened to the castle?"

The two amphibians immediately got teary eyed.

"Our castle was destroyed no thanks to Dark Masters, ribbit."

"Not just that, they ambushed us. We barely escaped with our lives by the time we made it out here, tama."

"That's terrible." Mimi hung her head sadly as did Joe.

"Those guys slaughter every last one of the Digimon who won't listen to their orders." Ogremon grumbled. "A load of crock if you ask me."

"We cannot allow them to get away with this any longer." Leomon declared. "That is why I have continued to search for you all this time. We need your abilities to beat the Dark Masters and rid this world of the powers of evil."

There was a great number of Digimon who lost their lives in the catastrophe, but there were still many who survived.

"We cannot allow them to get away with this any longer." Leomon said steadily, "That is why I've continued to search for you the Chosen Children and the guardians all this time. We need your abilities to defeat the Dark masters and rid this world of evil!"

"Then we should have fought the dark masters when we first came to this world." Mimi mumbled. "Why did we start off on File Island instead? I don't see the point."

Ogremon laughed derisively, "Are you stupid? If you'd faced them first, you would be dead long before you even knew what was going on!"

"But then so many Digimon wouldn't have had to die for us." Mimi said quietly gripping her dress.

Leomon spoke, "I may not know, but there was a reason you were all first landed on File Island as a test."

"To test us?" questioned Palmon.

By then they were all looking at him.

"Yes it was to determine whether the Chosen children, the guardians or even Sirene's heir could save our world. If Devimon had destroyed you on File Island, it would be clear you wouldn't make it far." Leomon explained. "But you've successfully passed the tests with flying colors, and grown enough force to face the Dark masters on equal ground. Now is the time, where are the others? We must gather them up immediately."

Theo scowled at Mimi, who'd walked towards a window. "Little miss I don't wanna fight anymore wimped out on our quest just like Matt - they thought their issues were more much important than keeping a promise to our dying friends."

"Well, w-we've kind of gone our separate ways for now." Joe explained to confused Leomon, "We're in the middle of another except this time we're struggling with ourselves!"

"HA! If I wanted to struggle with myself, I'd have gone looking for dementors to face the horrors of the past the hard way."

"Alright I had enough! Theo, maybe growing up where you or Beth did has made you a little touchy, but you're starting to sound unfair..." Joe interjected indignantly to the older girl.

"Oh, I've never heard of that before, but I did hear this other comment." Theo sneered then started to get more agitated as she got up to pace. "It's called the 'if you see a witch born into a no maj neighborhood on anything but a burnt-out Comet 2-60, you better stop them because they stole it' routine. Yeah, I've heard that one. But you see, I thought it was the no maj born deal, when actually, it was the being more assertive attitude. Oh, thank you for sharing that with me, Joe Kido."

"Comet 2-60?" Gomamon looked confused, as did the other Digimon.

"A broomstick brand." Yui explained sadly, she knew where this was going.

Theo is usually laid-back, passionate and wise-cracking, she never just paces. She's an adventurer, a runner, lively type of girl. The fact that she's just about to spit out a distressing event that's happened nearly a year ago proves just how much this whole situation has upset the fire guardian.

Coldly, the fire guardian stood up straight, "Just let me show you two whiners what happened the last time people just sat around not wanting to fight!"

Both the kids, and six Digimon watched completely transfixed as she starts to unwrap the large cloth bandages she had on her left arm since summer camp began. Neither one of the kids have seen her without it, not even while she's transformed or bathing. When they fell away… the whole group except for Yui, retreated in shock- having seen the injury firsthand- on Theo's arm someone had carved words right into her arm with something sharp!

Mimi's hands flew to her mouth, Palmon grabbed her arm tightly. Joe, the Otamamon and Gekomon looked like they were going to be sick. Gomamon was stunned. Ogremon's eyes had widened.

"Who did this?!" Leomon sounded righteously angry.

Theo barely held back her sniffles, "A fanatical old hag wrote it on my arm so that I would never forget."

"B-but forget what? Who-why would they do such a horrible thing?!" Mimi almost choked the moment she found her voice.

"According to her and her nutcase dark overlord… Sara, Zaira, Haruna, Yui and I had no right to the magic we were born with… no right to the education we were getting, no right to know about the magical world."

Yui put a hand on the other girl's shoulder, "That word is supposed to spell out a really offensive term used for those with non-magical heritage, mostly used by elitist witches and wizards who think that they're better than everyone else. Basically it's just another extension of bigotry."

Joe finally caught his breath, "But this isn't supposed to happen, let alone in…"

Yui shook her head glumly, "It shouldn't even happen anywhere, but it does."

"No sulking in isolation is going to save you and neither is your wardrobe, or your fancy Tokyo address nor can you escape it. Because when your name is on the hit list of every mortal hating creep, none of that matters. They only see one thing." She spreads her arms out, referring to her, Yui, Joe and Mimi. "Nomaj borns, the low-lives decide to hate without even knowing you or caring."

The Digimon all gave her looks of sympathy.

"You know, this... this really gets to me." Joe admits. "When are we gonna stop doing this to each other? Why can't we see each other as human beings and not judge one another based on looks, beliefs, status, race or anything else? I'm sorry you had to go through this, Theo."


The redvegiemon were easy to take down the garthim were a whole other story entirely.

"Agumon, warp-evolve to...WARGREYMON!" WarGreymon quickly flew up into the sky to prepare a deadly dive with his dramon killer.

The two attacks collided and caused a large explosion that blew back both Wargreymon and Puppetmon.

"I'll show you!" Puppetmon extended his hands strings shooting out to entangle themselves on Wargreymon.

The armored Digimon grunted, "My body is moving on it's own! Everyone, get out of the way!"

Puppetmon was commandeering a reluctant Wargreymon to attack the heroes.

"We better level up!" Kylie called to Beth.

"Right!"

In a burst of colorful sparkles the two girls appeared in their Enchantix form.

"Ah! Time to deals with you once and for all!" Puppetmon shouts, tugging on the strings, Wargreymon was pulled to attack Kylie.

"Look out, Kylie!" WarGreymon cried out.

"Rainbow Barrier!" Kylie casts, creating a rainbow-like glass shield around WarGreymon, slicing off the strings.

"Oh Pallas Athena, Daughter of Lightning and Prudence, impale these villains with your spears of War!" Beth chants.

And from the heart, came a thousand spears of purple magic, and shot forth, impaling the chests of the Garthim. The beings turned grey and fell over in heaps.

"No fair!" Puppetmon shouts.

"It's time for you to be disciplined!" Kylie shouts. She crosses her arms, and two long, thin swords of sunlight formed into her grasps.

"Waaaah!" Puppetmon shouts, turning to dash away.

Kylie brought down her two swords at Puppet on, but it was blocked by the silver staff of the scepter of Lady Despair.

"You rancid little flying pest!" Lady Despair snarls. "Not enough you seduced and killed my son. Myotismon, now your bullying my Baby!?"

Lady Despair lashes out at Kylie, who barely backs off from getting sliced by Sierra silver talon, and the two stand before each other, in defensive poses.

"Your 'baby' is a sadistic monster!" Kylie snaps.

"Oh, I'll rip your foul tongue out of that pretty mouth of yours!" Lady Despair hissed.

"Into the well of oblivion, drain this miserable wretch and drown her in a ring of darkness!" Lady Despair chants and a black pool forms around Kylie, who cries out as she's being drained of her magic, and reverts to human form.

"Now, to put an end to you, like your mother all those years ago!" Lady Despair snarls, she spins her scepter, before it morphs into a silver saber with a black crystal handle. "Die, pitiful pixie!"

But she was blocked by WarGreymon, who blocked Lady Despair attack with his Desmond killer.

"YOU WONT GET THE CHANCE!" WarGreymon bellows.

He forces Despair away, causing the spell on Kylie to break off, thou she faints as Gatomon, Kari and Sora rush to her side, assisting her up to get her bar rings.

Despair and WarGreymon clash, as the two block and strike at each other.

The detail was that they still had both the redvegiemon and the garthim to deal with. Birdramon and Kabuterimon quickly digivolved to ultimate level.

"Girls, leave the Garthim to us!" Garudamon dove.

"You focus on the redvegiemon!" MegaKabuterimon urged.

"Thanks!" Sara G nods and went back to fighting. "Naiad's Attack!"

"Springtime's gust!"

"Northern Tempest!"

"Electro beam!"

As instructed the girls were making short work of the redvegiemon while the digimon took calculated shots at the Garthim and their weak spots.

"Horn Buster!" MegaKabuterimon's attack landed right in front of Puppetmon and blew him back, this caused his mallet to be thrown upwards so that Garudamon crushed it in her talons.

Puppetmon whimpered fearfully surrounded by powerful enemies, especially when the fairy Beth flew down in front of him.

"It's over you little brat," Beth said. "This is your end."

"NO!" Lady Despair turns around, and blasts red lightning at the group.

"Ahhh!" Everyone cried out as they were all painfully struck.

"No, Dramon Killer!" WarGreymon cried out, slashing at Despair.

The woman turned, and was sliced, causing them all to gasp in joy over WarGreymon striking down Despair, or horror in Puppetmon. Only instead of being sliced to bits, she separated into two Lady Despair's.

"What!?" WarGreymon exclaimed. He then sliced at her again, only to create two more Sierra, and again, until there were ten Lady Despair's.

Everyone was horrified.

"Oh, your going to regret your actions against me and my own," Lady Despair's said holding up their scepters.

"Ray-ecks, terra, seelie, indoniuum, insedrix, DESPAIR!" Lady Despair bellows, before her scepter blasts WarGreymon from all sides.

"Ahhh!" WarGreymon yells in pain.

"WarGreyMon!" Tai yells in dismay.

"Stop, Sierra!" Gatomon turns, and digivolved into Angewomon.

"Heaven's Charm!" Angewomon cried out.

The angel clapped her hands together, and the rainbow mist poured out, and touched all the Despair's ending their attack.

"Aaaaaugh!" They all grabbed their throats, groaning in pain, all melting except for the main Despair.

"WRETCHED CHILD, HOW DARE YOU!?" Lady Despair screams, before bolting up into the air to fly after Puppetmon.

"Puppetmon, I have to check on your brother," Lady Despair calls out. "I leave these brats for you to deal with!"

"Okay, Mama!" Puppetmon waves happily. "I can handle them, I'm a big boy, not like that stupid MetalEtemon who needs you to hold his hand."

"Oh you..." Lady Despair huffs, before flying off to find MetalEtemon.

In the meantime, Puppetmon was thinking back to the last time he'd spoken to Cherrymon.

"Please be careful around the Chosen Children! If you make light of them, even you may lose, Lord Puppetmon!"

"You're saying I… might lose?"

"They have something that you don't!"

The wise old tree digimon had warned him not to underestimate the Chosen children, or the fairies. Puppetmon hadn't had Sierra around to stop her son when he destroyed Cherrymon for his words.

'Something that I don't have? That's illogical!'

"Morons! Don't think you've won just yet!" Puppetmon yelled at the heroes. "Well, I have something they don't either, I HAVE MAMA!"

Puppetmon's eyes flashed brightly, and causing his house to burst out of the ground, becoming a massive robot-like creature.

"Squash them flat!" Puppetmon orders, running from the group.


Back with the second group, an unwelcome visitor suddenly appeared in full view before them.

"Poor Child, I never would have done such a horrible thing," Lady Despair stated as she gripped Theo's injured arm tightly. "I am many things, but the one thing I can't stand it's a bigot."

Theo's hazel brown eyes widened. "You know..." she gasped in shock.

"Of course I know, I feed on negative emotions, they make my magic stronger," Lady Despair smirked. "And being near you, my magic prowess always got more potent. Ha! Those fools believe their 'pure blood' makes them more powerful," she laughed. "If anything, it's making them sicker, and crazier, all that inbreeding. I'm surprised Bellatrix has thumbs!"

Lady Despair snickered, and she spun around, taking on the form of a female metal etemon.

"That's the great thing about me, I never exclude, anyone is welcome into my fold," She throws her arms up dramatically. "Everyone has a purpose to serve in my Dark Empire, the darkness touches all! However, I think a familiar face has an old score to settle with you all. Ta-ta…" She smirked turning to the window outside before vanishing in a puff of dark pink smoke.

The sound of bounding footsteps was getting louder and louder. Yui looked outside and balked. "We got company, everyone."

Ogremon and Leomon tensed up themselves, knowing who she's referring to.

"Here comes that crazy monkey!" Ogremon grumbled.

Right on cue, MetalEtemon breaks down the doors. "I've finally found you, now here comes my time for revenge!"

Leomon stepped forward. "I will be your opponent. Leomon warp digivolve to… SaberLeomon."

"Fine by me! It don't matter who gets in my way. Don't expect me to show any mercy!"

"Then I won't either." Theo said with a glower.

In a flash of fiery red and yellow sparks, she and Yui transformed to their Digix form.

"And if you think I'm gonna date you willingly after all the stuff I heard about you..." Yui snapped at MetalEtemon. "You're nuts!"

"I'm nuts!" MetalEtemon cackled. "Nuts and Banana's for you, starshine!"

"How's this for 'starshine?'" Yui holds up her moon saber. "STARLIGHT BEAM!"

Yui fires a beam of starlight at MetalEtemon, sending him flying out of the restaurant, but when he hits the wall of a nearby house, instead of cries of pain, there's the sound of laughter.

"Ahahahahah! Stop that, it tickles!" MetalEtemon laughed.

Yui stopped her attack, stunned as MetalEtemon appeared to be perfectly fine.

"So, you like to play 'rough', huh? I can get behind that," MetalEtemon sneers. "After all, Starlight. My body is made of 'Chrome Digizoid', I'm as hard as I can possibly be, though I might get harder with you around, Baby."

MetalEtemon puckers his lips up, and Yui leans on the door frame, covering her mouth as her face turned green.

"Oh, I'm gonna hurl!" Yui groans.

"That's enough!" SaberLeomon growled, jumping in front of Yui almost protectively.

"Leomon! Don't!" Mimi cried.

"Let me handle this! All of you, get out of here! Nail Crusher!" SaberLeomon charged towards his opponent.

"Number One Punch!"

The attacks collided and blew both of them back, causing a massive explosion of dust.

"I can't let Leomon fight all by himself!" Gomamon becomes Ikkakumon but Joe stops him.

"I'll fight too!" Palmon declared but saw Mimi only holding her digivice.

Joe noticed this and went to his digimon. "Wait, let's do what SaberLeomon says and get out of here!"

"Forget it! Monkeybutt over there's not gonna let us skip on out of here!" Yui responded.

"We gotta help!" Theo said to Yui.

"Think a convergence of Fire and Stars will do the trick?" Yui wondered.

"Worth a shot."

"Infinity Arrow!" SaberLeomon's mane shoot out sharp needles towards MetalEtemon but it wasn't very effective.

"Come on, get on Ikkakumon!" Joe was urging Mimi.

"But Leomon…!"

"Now it's my turn." MetalEtemon cracked his metallic knuckles. "Full Metal Hip Attack!" He ran towards SaberLeomon and slammed him to the ground.

"Wait!" Ogremon suddenly ran up. "I'm the only one here who gets to beat Leomon!"

MetalEtemon turned to look at him. "What?"

"Stay back, Ogremon! You're no match for him!" SaberLeomon protested.

"Shut your trap! I'm sick of you getting to show off all the time!"

"No!" Mimi ran right out there.

"Mimi!"

Theo huffed rolling her eyes. "Oh sure, NOW you want to play the heroine!"

"You can't fight him with those injuries don't do it!"

"Mimi, get your butt out of here!" Theo snarled.

"Everyone's welcome to join…" MetalEtemon paused briefly to look at Theo and Yui in their transformed state. "Well except maybe the two cute pixies there. No need to push in line, I'll send you to your deaths one by one! Dark Spirits Deluxe!"

Everything had happened so quickly.

"Look out!" Theo throws up a fire wall to block the attack to protect Joe, Gomamon and Ogremon but Mimi had been too shocked to react other than falling to the ground. In that split second, SaberLeomon threw himself over her and took the full force of the attack. MetalEtemon just laughed at the pain he caused.

"No! SaberLeomon!" Joe yelled.

"Ikkakumon, ultra digivolve to... ZUDOMON!"

In the confusion, Mimi had hurries to SaberLeomon's side.

"No… I don't want this to happen again!" She whimpered.

"Hammer Spark!" Zudomon's bolt hit MetalEtemon's chest to no effect.

"Absolutely futile! My body has a full coating of chrome Digizoid metal!"

"Yeah, well let's see how good you do with spells! Crucio!"

"Theo!"

Her furious attack worked - for only five seconds. It knocked him back but he was soon on his feet again.

"Lousy little witch," MetalEtemon hissed. "Don't you realize what's coursing through my body!?" He lunges forward, and grabs Theo's hand, flipping the screaming girl over to land hard on her back.

"THEO!" Yui cried out in horror.

"My Mother's blood FEEDS on negative emotions," MetalEtemon chuckles. "Spells that cause excruciating pain? The worst thing you can possibly do, it's like pouring gasoline on the fire."

MetalEtemon twists Theo's arm in his grip, causing Theo let out a scream of pain, but the brutal monkey just shoved his foot onto her face.

Mimi actually screamed, "Stop it! Leave her alone!"

"I can only imagine the misery you caused my poor mama during my absence," MetalEtemon hissed. "So, I'll relish in breaking you, bit by bit, until your limp as a butterfly with it's wings torn off."

"GET OFF HER, YOU DAMN, DIRTY APE!" Yui cries out, reaching out her hand. "Strings of Selene, silvery daughter of the light, pierce the night and set things right!" And from her hand, tendrils of solid moonlight shot out, wrapping around the evil entity, and ripping it off Theo.

"Ahhh! I can't move!" MetalEtemon hollers, unable to pull free of the tendrils.

"You wretched creature," Zudomon growls. "I'll teach you not to harm ANYONE, female, or otherwise in such a ruthless manner again!"

Zudomon slams his hammer onto the ground, "VULCAN'S HAMMER!"

A bolt of yellow energy shaped like a arrow shot forth and struck MetalEtemon, who laughed, despite being immobilized.

"HA! It doesn't matter what you do, my body is made of Chrome Digizoid Metal," MetalEtemon brags. "The strongest metal there is and my Mad Artist Mama's black blood flows through me, so your pixie's magic is useless!"

"Then, maybe you'd care for this," Theo snaps, laying on the ground still weak. She lifts her injured arm, shaking lightly, as she begins to chant. "From the heart, beating flame, rise up and pour your spark of love within this vessel!"

Theo's chanting caused her body to glow bright red, and the glowing aura is removed, and flows over into Zudomon's hammer.

"Now, we try again: VULCAN'S HAMMER!" Zudomon hurls his glowing hammer at MetalEtemon.

"No matter what you attempt, it's useless." MetalEtemon flexed his muscles, while restrained by Yui. "Cause I'm Invincibl-aaaah!"

MetalEtemon cried out in pain as the hammer struck hard in a flash of bright light, and a spider web of crack spread out on his chest.

"No! I'm breaking apart," MetalEtemon wails in despair and pain. "My Wonderful Lustre, how is this happening to me?!"

Yui released him from the spell, and hurries over to Theo, kneeling next to her friend.

Just as the two had come up with a new spell, it seems Yui was coming up with a new one. "Moonbeams be healed." Yui chants, and from her fingertips, a sparkling, white, glittering light fell over Theo.

The fire fairy guardian was able to stand up, a little wobbly, but completely healed.

"It's a spell, a part of our awakening our greater powers," Theo tells MetalEtemon. "My spell transferred all the love I feel for the people here, my friends, into the weapon of Zudomon." Theo sneers at MetalEtemon as Yui smiles in success.

"LOVE, MetalEtemon. That's your mother's greatest weakness," Yui explains.

"And my hammer is made from Chrome Digizoid metal," Zudomon states. "Combining the two now has given us the advantage we needed!"

"What?!" MetalEtemon snapped.

Only for SaberLeomon to pounce and give the finishing blow. "Nail Crusher!" His claws punctured him in the chest where the heart would be and it slowly started to crack.

MetalEtemon was unprepared for the Nail Crusher attack SaberLeomon busted a whole right through MetalEtemon's chest.

"Aaaaaah! You'll all pay big time!" MetalEtemon screamed as his body dissolved to data dust. And a vial of black blood appears, falling to the floor with a shatter, spilling the black ooze across the ground.

"And don't come back!" Theo snarled waving her fist.

"Quick! Remember what The Dark Spectre Queen said!" Joe shouts. "We have to purify it now!"

"STAR STORM SCREAM!" Yui chants.

"IFRIT INFERNO!" Theo shouts.

The beams of pink starlight shot down from the sky, and a twister of lames shot down on the small puddle of black blood, and the girls kept up the barrage, and when they stopped. Well, there was quite a deep hole left over, but the foul substance had been purified.

"We won…"

Theo and Yui suddenly were flung to the ground as a high pitched, hysterical scream blasted into them both. "NO! MY SON! METAL-ETEMON!"

Her horrible, spine-chilling screams, rolling over the forest, causing the digimon to cower in horror. Joe and Mimi shivered, hugging each other before turning their attention to SaberLeomon. He changed back to Leomon only to slump forward.

"Leomon!" Mimi wailed running to him.


Meanwhile back in the forest, a fleeing Puppetmon ran into MetalGarurumon.

"You came at a good time! Fight him like you did last time!" He pointed to WarGreymon. Only to see that the mechanized wofl has not moved an inch. "Huh? Listen to me!" Puppetmon threw out his strings onto MetalGarurumon. "Now go! Finish them off! W-Why? Why aren't my powers working?"

"Of course they won't work." Matt sternly walked out of the forest. "There's no way he'll obey someone who can kill the people he calls friends while not even feeling sorry about it."

"What? Now I'm mad… Everyone just needs to do what I tell them to do!" Puppetmon angrily charged forward intending to destroy them both… which turned out to be a fatal mistake.

MetalGarurumon sank his steel fangs into Puppetmon's middle and flew up into the air. He didn't attack right away because he didn't want the others who were nearby to be dragged into this battle.

Puppetmon tried to hit MetalGarurumon's head. "Let go of me! Let go!" He yelled flailed his arms and legs like a spoiled child.

Until Finally MetalGarurumon tossed him up and… "Cocytus Breath!"

"BABY!" Lady Despair screamed in horror. "Poor little puppet! GRRR!" She was nearly hit by Puppetmon's marionette control bar, as she flew over the forest, and fell to the ground next to a blue and dying Puppetmon. "My poor baby," The sorceress falls to her knees, stroking at Puppetmon's head sadly. "What have they done to my wonderful children?"

"Mama..." Puppetmon whimpers his final words. "What did Cherrymon mean...what do those kids have...that I don't?"

Lady Despair trembled, as she leaned over to kiss Puppetmon on the head gently. "Friends..." She cradled Puppetmon's body, until it disintegrated into data.

With Puppetmon's death, the giant house robot stopped in its tracks and begun to fall apart.

Matt walked over to Lady Despair, who lets out an anguished scream, lashing out at him. Her sorrow soon turned to rage, and she focused it all on Kylie.

"You miserable little chit! If Piedmon had only killed YOU as well as your mother," Lady Despair waved a hand, causing a blast of magic to strike at the children and the fairies accompanying them. "NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!" before she falls into a sobbing heap, disappearing in a burst of pink flames.

The guardians, the children and their digimon were shocked. Kylie actually gasped, her hand on her mouth. Angewomon placed her hands on her shoulders while Kari patted Kylie's arm sympathetically.

"Matt!" Sora shouted having spotted him just ten feet across them.

Beth noticed then her gaze hardened as she turned away. Even Matt had looked stunned at Despair's revelation but said nothing, trying to avoid catching the eye of anyone else, then he and MetalGarurumon turned to walk away.

The ground started to rumble and just as it had with MetalSeadramon's death, the forestall area of Spiral Mountain began to recede.

"An earthquake!" Kari cried.

"Since Puppetmon has been defeated, the forest is disappearing!" Izzy informed.

"Run! We've gotta get out of this forest!" Tai hollered.

Quickly the group escaped before the ground disappeared under them.


Before he was caught in the blast, Leomon was prepared to die at the very moment he chose to shield Mimi with his body.

"Don't die, Leomon!" Mimi wept on Leomon's chest.

Theo was holding his hand.

"Leomon!" "Leomon…" Yui, Palmon and Gomamon were also in tears. Behind them, the Gekomon and the Otamamon watched solemnly.

"Darn it…" Joe yelled. "Toilet paper won't fix this!" He then threw his duffle bag on the ground in frustration.

They had no other choice but to watch Leomon's end.

"The forest…" Leomon suddenly said. "The forest is returning…"

They all followed his gaze to see the forest moving.

"It appears your friends… have defeated Puppetmon… I knew they would. They're very strong."

"Please, don't die!" Mimi pleaded.

"There's still so much to do!" Yui cried.

Leomon let out a long sigh. "Do you remember the Village of Beginnings?"

What is he bringing that up for? Yui thought. Maybe he was getting flashbacks of fond memories right before his death?

"There's no need for of any of you to be sad. For I will be reborn in the Village of Beginnings." Leomon then looked at a tearful Ogremon. "My apologies, Ogremon. My fight with you will have to be postponed until… then…"

"Leomon…"

"Did I ever tell you? After a Digimon dies, they are reborn in the Village of Beginnings. They become digieggs and have another chance at life. So… there's no need for sorrow."

His eyes crinkling and his smile soft, Leomon nodded. The bottom half of Leomon's body radiated faintly with light. His cells disintegrated into glittering particles, starting from the tips of his feet, that rose silently up to the sky.

Leomon continued. "The battle is only beginning. I'm sorry to involve you in our fight, but you, Chosen Children and Guardians alike, are the only ones who can save this world. And Kylie...she is descended from greatness, and even without knowing that, she's outdone herself in stepping out of their shadows," Leomon said weakly. "A massive feat, as her mother is our own guardian nymph, and her father...was..."

The four were stunned, did Leomon know Kylie's biological father?'

"Who? Please, tell me, who is he!? Where is he," Yui asked desperately. "Is he alive!?"

"He is...alive..." Leomon said.

Leomon's data then turned to dust that rose up towards the blue sky…

"NO!" Mimi wailed.

Theo and Yui hugged each other. Ogremon turned his head, letting the tears fall freely.

Joe gathered himself long enough to speak. "Girls, let's go to the Village of Beginnings."

"Yes. If we go to the Village of Beginnings, it won't just be Leomon waiting for us. All of the Digimon who are gone, like Chuumon and Piximon, will be reborn too." Mimi agreed still crying.

"You're right! That's why we need to go find that village!"

"Okay, let's get going and find the Primary Village!" Joe declared

"There's just one problem: it's dead!" Ogremon bluntly informed.

Theo, Joe, Mimi, Palmon, and Gomamon were stunned.

"There isn't anything there!" the ogre explained. "It changed completely because of the Dark Masters!"

"It can't be!" Mimi said.

"Primary Village will never return to the way it was, not until the Dark Masters are defeated once and for all!" Ogremon said.

"Well then, we have to help bring it back!" Joe said. "Mimi, I know this is hard for you, but we have no other choice but to fight them."

Mimi sat there, looking down sadly at the ground. She clenched her fists tight around her pink dress.

"We need you, Mimi! Please say yes!" Palmon pleaded. "I'd rather fight then to watch my friends die like this."

"We can't forget our fallen friends; we're doing this for them." Yui explained. "Let them be the fuel for your burning heart, let the fact that they are not standing with us allow you to move as quick as the wind and let their sprits guide your blade as it plunges deep into the belly of evil... "

"That's insightful, where'd you pick that up?" Theo commented in surprise.

"I still remember some lines from my school play." Yui blushed.

Yet the words served to inspire Mimi. Her expression became more serious and determined.

"You're all right." Mimi said finally. "I'll do whatever is necessary for Primary village to come alive again. Ogremon, will you come with us?"

"As if I'd want to team up with you guys!" the ogre grumbled. " But I still have a fight to settle with Leomon… Guess I'll just have to tag along."

"Thanks! Having you around is reassuring!" Joe promised him.

"Now that that's settled, we should go and seek out some allies." Ogremon suggested. " There should be Digimon around who are still opposing the Dark Masters. We should go look for them!"

"Sounds like a plan! " Theo said standing up.

"Princess tama, can we come with you too, tama?" Otamamon said.

"No way!" Mimi said. The two amphibians looked crestfallen.

"Why not?!" Gekomon pleaded.

"Only as long as you promise not to call me princess anymore, and call me Mimi instead!" Mimi said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Mimi! Please take us with you, ribbit!"

"Of course!" Mimi told them, giggling. Gekomon and Otamamon danced around excitedly.

Now their group had a goal set: Reach Primary village and gather up more friends to fight the Dark Masters.

To be continued…